In a previous blog I reviewed the book Working Backwards on how Amazon creates a framework for hiring, managing, and retaining employees. Work Rules is a very similar concept, except from Google. 

I am attracted to these books because I am a business owner. However, there are universal aspects of running a business that apply to being a S&C coach. We all need to know how to hire better, we all need to know how to manage better, we all need to create a workplace that our coaches want to be in. These universal truths are often overlooked, but incredibly important to be a competent S&C coach. 

A key behind this book is staying true to your core values as a company in any company led initiative. This was spelled out in their Core Values: 

• Focus on the user and all else will follow

• Fast is better than slow

• Democracy on the web works

• You can make money without doing evil

• There’s always more information out there

• Great just isn’t good enough

If you have worked in the team setting, you may be rolling your eyes at this point. I would say that having core values without implementation is a huge waste of time. It is incredibly easy to say that an organization with incredible success has the right core values, but that would be a reach. Words are meaningless without actionable steps. 

My take on this book goes into both sides of the equation – how do you build an incredible culture when you are starting up along with how do you sustain an incredible culture after you have achieved considerable success. If you read the book Legacy you get the sense that great organizations with incredibly long tenured success are really focussed on continued growth to achieve continued success. 

The hiring process, to the staff compensation, to the staff incentives, to the staff organizational structure, and to the staff retention all cited several books, courses, specialists, and internal research/feedback. To quote Legacy – when you are top, change it up. Google’s culture to me, from what I read in the book, evolution and change in their products, not their people. 

Hire slow, and fire fast is a classic line in business. Google has taken hiring slow to a whole new level: 20-25 interviews before hiring. This created a second order problem of current employees lost interest in recommending their peers to work at Google. It also deters qualified candidates from applying out of not wanting to get their hopes up. What Google did was create a direct employee referral program and focus on recruiting the right people to work at google. This allowed for a more direct hiring process that is not as long or as invasive. 

Really good book for every coach. Lots to learn how to be a better manager and organizer of our departments. Who better than one of the best cultures in the world?